10 MOST FAMOUS POETS FROM THE UNITED STATES

By Anirudh -May 7, 201835861

A distinctly American lyric voice of the colonial period was Phillis Wheatley (1753 – 1784). An
African woman sold to slavery, Wheatley became a renowned poet in not only the American
colonies but also in England and other nations. The first internationally acclaimed poet of
independent United States was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). However, he has been
criticized for imitating European styles. 19th century saw the emergence of poets in U.S. who
searched for a distinctive American voice to distinguish them from their British counterparts. The
final emergence of a truly indigenous English-language poetry in the United States was achieved
by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson; and they are regarded as among the greatest American
writers. Late 19th century saw the emergence of the Modernist movement in poetry and U.S.
contributed significantly to it through figures like Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos
Williams and E. E. Cummings. However, it was Robert Frost who was the most influential and
renowned American poet of the 20th century. The United States has significantly influenced
western poetry and continues to impact the poetic tradition of the present world. Here are the 10
most famous American poets and their best known poems.

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Ezra Pound

Ezra Pound

#10 EZRA POUND

Lifespan: October 30, 1885 – November 1, 1972

Literary Modernism was a movement which was characterized by a radical break with traditional
ways of writing in favor of new forms of expression. Imagism was the first organized Modernist
literary movement in the English language. It stressed on clarity, precision and economy of
language. Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was the most influential and prominent figure of the Imagist
movement. In his poetry, he intentionally used confusing juxtapositions, yet led the reader to an
intended conclusion. He rejected Victorian and Edwardian grammar and structure; and instead
created a unique form of speech, employing odd words and jargon. Ezra Pound is credited with
single–handedly crafting the tradition of Modernist literature as he was primarily responsible for
discovering, advancing and shaping the work of several major writers associated with the
movement including T. S. Eliot, James Joyce and E.E. Cummings.

Famous Poems:-

In a Station of the Metro (1913)

The Cantos (1925)

Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (1920)

Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath

#9 SYLVIA PLATH

Lifespan: October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963

Sylvia Plath is regarded as a pioneer in the genre of Confessional poetry, a term used to define
poems which focus on the individual; her experience, her psyche, her trauma and the like. Her first
poetry collection The Colossus and Other Poems was published in 1960. Plath committed suicide,
at the age of 30, on February 11, 1963, by placing her head in the oven with the gas turned on.
Some of her best known poems were written in the months leading to her suicide. They were
published after her death as part of her renowned poetry collection Ariel. The poetry of Plath is
known for featuring intense coupling of violent or disturbed imagery with playful use of
alliteration and rhyme. Sylvia Plath is considered among the leading writers of the 20th century
and she remains one of the most popular female poets in the English language.

Famous Poems:-

Daddy (1965)

Mirror (1971)

Tulips (1965)

Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski

#8 CHARLES BUKOWSKI

Lifespan: August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994

Charles Bukowski was born as Heinrich Karl Bukowski in Andernach, Germany. His family moved to
Los Angeles in 1930. Charles had a difficult childhood being bullied by boys of his own age and
being beaten up by his father. He began his career at the age of 35 by publishing in underground
newspapers in Los Angeles such as Open City and the L.A. Free Press. He ultimately wrote
thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels. The poetry of Bukowski depicts the
depravity of urban life and the downtrodden in American society. He relied on experience,
emotion, and imagination in his work, using direct language and violent and sexual imagery.
Prominent themes in his work are the ordinary lives of poor Americans, alcohol, relationships with
women and the drudgery of work. In 1986, Time magazine called Bukowski a “laureate of
American lowlife”. He remains a cult figure in American poetry.
Famous Poems:-

Bluebird (1992)

The Laughing Heart (1993)

So You Want to be a Writer

E. E. Cummings

E. E. Cummings

#7 E. E. CUMMINGS

Lifespan: October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962

Also a novelist, playwright and painter; Edward Estlin Cummings is most famous for his poems
which were radical for their use of unconventional punctuation and phrasing. Most of his verse is
in lowercase and he capitalizes words only when it is relevant to the work. The structure and use
of compound words in his poems is of significance to the verse and not arbitrary. Also, satire is
pervasive in his works. A typical Cummings poem is spare and precise, employing a few
eccentrically placed key words. E. E. Cummings was not a very renowned poet for a large part of
his career but was able to gain widespread fame and recognition by the 1950s. One of the most
innovative poets of his time, he is now regarded as a towering figure in literary modernism.
Cummings remains one of the most famous American writers with his poems on love and nature,
and his erotic poetry being extremely popular.
Famous Poems:-

i carry your heart with me (1952)

in Just- (1923)

Buffalo Bill’s (1920)

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

#6 LANGSTON HUGHES

Lifespan: February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967

Centered at the Harlem neighborhood in New York City, Harlem Renaissance was an African
American movement which peaked around the mid-1920s and during which African Americans
took giant strides politically, socially and artistically. Langston Hughes is the most famous person
associated with the Harlem Renaissance and among the most influential leaders of the movement.
He was one of the early innovators of the genre of poetry known as Jazz Poetry, which
demonstrates jazz like rhythms. Many of his poems are based on African American culture and
blacks being denied the American dream of equal opportunity for all. Also a novelist, playwright,
and columnist, Langston Hughes is most renowned for his poetry and he is regarded as one of the
greatest African American poets ever.

Famous Poems:-

The Negro Speaks of Rivers (1921)

Harlem (1951)

The Weary Blues (1925)

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

#5 MAYA ANGELOU

Lifespan: April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014

Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Maya Angelou was one of the most renowned figures of the 20th
century. She began her career as a singer and dancer; worked as a civil rights activist and
journalist; wrote seven acclaimed autobiographies; taught at Wake Forest University; and received
many honors including the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Angelou was a prolific poet who
explored numerous themes in her poems including that of women, love, loss, music, struggle,
discrimination and racism. She has been referred to as “people’s poet” and as “the black woman’s
poet laureate”. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill
Clinton’s inauguration. She was the first female poet and the second ever after Robert Frost to be
so honored. The poems of Maya Angelou continue to be extremely popular and have been called
the anthems of African Americans.

Famous Poems:-

Still I Rise (1978)

On the Pulse of Morning (1993)

Phenomenal Woman (1978)

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

#4 WALT WHITMAN

Lifespan: May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892

Free verse is a form of poetry that does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme or any other
musical pattern. Walt Whitman, as the father of free verse, made perhaps the most important
American contribution to poetry. He wrote in a singularly American character and, although much
of his work does not explicitly discuss politics, most of it implicitly deals with democracy. Whitman
is thus often referred to as America’s first “poet of democracy”. Throughout his life, Whitman kept
working on his poetry collection Leaves of Grass and by the time of his death it became a
compilation of more than 400 poems. Initially described as obscene for its overt sexuality, Leaves
of Grass was with time recognized as one of the central works of American poetry. Walt Whitman
is, without a doubt, one of the most influential poets in history and many regard him as the
greatest American poet ever.

Famous Poems:-

Song of Myself (1855)

O Captain! My Captain! (1867)

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d (1865)

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

#3 EDGAR ALLAN POE

Lifespan: January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849

Romanticism was a cultural movement which laid emphasis on emotion and individualism as well
as glorification of the past and of nature. Poe is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism
in the United States. He is celebrated as the supreme exponent of Dark Romanticism, a genre
which focuses on human fallibility, self-destruction, judgment, punishment and the demonic; as
well as the psychological effects of guilt and sin. One of the prominent theme in his poems is the
death of a young, beautiful and dearly loved woman; which he called “the most poetical topic in
the world”. The best known poem of Poe is The Raven. It influenced numerous later works
including the famous painting Nevermore by Paul Gauguin. Apart from poetry, Poe is considered
the inventor of the detective fiction genre and an important contributor to the emerging genre of
science fiction. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential and famous figures of American
literature. His poems appear throughout popular culture and lines from them are often quoted.

Famous Poems:-

The Raven (1845)

Annabel Lee (1849)

A Dream Within a Dream (1849)

Robert Frost

Robert Frost

#2 ROBERT FROST

Lifespan: March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963

Robert Lee Frost is highly regarded for his deep understanding of human nature leading to brilliant
dramatic monologues or dramatic scenes in his poetry. He is known for his realistic depictions of
rural life, capturing the rhythms of actual speech and depicting the human response to nature’s
processes. In 1924, Frost won the Pulitzer Prize for his book New Hampshire: A Poem with Notes
and Grace Notes. He went on to win three more Pulitzers. He remains the only poet and one of
only four persons to achieve this feat. In 1960, he was awarded the United States Congressional
Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the U.S. He was also the first poet to honor a presidential
inauguration. He recited his poem The Gift Outright for President John F. Kennedy. Robert Frost is
one of the most popular and critically acclaimed poets in history. He was called the unofficial
“poet laureate” of the United States and is widely regarded as the greatest American poet of the
20th century.

Famous Poems:-

The Road Not Taken (1916)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (1923)

Mending Wall (1914)

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson
#1 EMILY DICKINSON

Lifespan: December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886

Emily Dickinson lived an introverted life and most of her friendships were formed through
correspondence. During her life she was known as an eccentric and few people knew of her
immense talent. It was only after her death that her nearly 1800 poems came to light. Initially
there was mixed response to her poetry with some praising its “rare individuality and originality”
while others disapproving her unusual non-traditional style. Interest in Dickinson’s poetry became
widespread by the early 20th century and critics realized that the irregularities in her poems were
consciously artistic. Today she is most known for her unusual use of form and syntax; and for being
“the poet of paradox”. Emily Dickinson has had a deep and profound influence on American
poetry. Also known as the “Belle of Amherst“, she is ranked among the greatest poets in English
literature and she is perhaps the most famous American poet.

Famous Poems:-

Hope is the Thing with Feathers (1891)

Because I Could Not Stop For Death (1890)

I’m nobody! Who are you? (1891)

t Famous American Artists And Their Masterpieces

Famous American Painters Featured

ArticlesTop Ten Lists

10 MOST FAMOUS AMERICAN ARTISTS AND THEIR MASTERPIECES

By Anirudh -January 23, 201859320

The early style of America artists was based primarily on English painting. Though several
American artists became well known in the 19th century, it was only in the 20th century that the
United States began to have a major influence on the international art world. The first prominent
art movement in the United States was Realism, which depicted contemporary social realities and
the lives of ordinary people. Abstract Expressionism was the first specifically American movement
to achieve international influence. It emphasized on conveying strong emotional or expressive
content through abstraction. It was followed by the Pop Art movement, which was characterized
by use of recognizable imagery from popular culture like advertisements, celebrities and comic
book characters. U.S. also played a major role in Modernism, Neo-Expressionism and Graffiti Art.
Many of the best known artists of the modern era come from the United States including the
Realist Edward Hopper, the Modernist Georgia O’Keeffe, the Abstract Expressionist Jackson
Pollock, the Pop Artist Andy Warhol and the Graffiti Artist Keith Haring. Know more about visual
art of the United States through the 10 most famous American artists and their masterpieces.

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Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder

#10 ALEXANDER CALDER

Lifespan: July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976

One of the most influential sculptors of the twentieth century and perhaps the most acclaimed
American sculptor, Alexander Calder is famous for his invention of the mobile, an abstract
sculpture that moves in response to touch or air currents by taking advantage of the principle of
equilibrium. In addition to mobiles, Calder made static sculpture called stabiles, wire sculptures,
toys, theatrical sets, paintings in oil and gouache, and even jewelry and numerous household
objects. Calder also created monumental sculptures including .125 for JFK Airport in New York City
in 1957; Spirale for UNESCO in Paris the following year; and his largest sculpture El Sol Rojo in 1968
outside the Aztec Stadium for the New Mexico Summer Olympic Games. Two months after his
death in November 1976, Alexander Calder was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest civilian honor in the United States.
Masterpiece: Calder’s Circus (1926-1931)

Calder's Circus (1931)

Calder’s Circus (1931) – Alexander Calder

Other Famous Works:-

Flamingo (1974)

Lobster Trap and Fish Tail (1939)

Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell

#9 NORMAN ROCKWELL

Lifespan: February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978

Norman Rockwell was a prolific artist, producing more than 4,000 original works in his lifetime.
Most of his works were created as cover illustrations of The Saturday Evening Post magazine, and
later the Look magazine. Rockwell is most famous for his illustrations of everyday life; for
capturing the spirit of small town America; and for his patriotic depictions during World War II. In
1943, he created four paintings corresponding to the four freedoms mentioned by U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt in his famous 1941 speech. The paintings; Freedom of Speech, Freedom of
Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear; are among his best known works. Rockwell
did not achieve critical acclaim with art critics not regarding him as a “serious painter”. Still, he
was the most widely known and popular commercial artist of mid-20th century America.

Masterpiece: Four Freedoms series (1943)

Freedom from Want (1943) - Norman Rockwell

Freedom from Want (1943) – Norman Rockwell

Other Famous Works:-

The Problem We All Live With (1964)

Rosie the Riveter (1943)

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat

#8 JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

Lifespan: December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988

Homeless and unemployed, Jean-Michel Basquiat began his career as a graffiti artist. The graffiti
art movement reached its peak in the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1976, Basquiat and
his friend Al Diaz began spray painting graffiti on buildings in Lower Manhattan. They used the
pseudonym SAMO, an acronym for “Same Old Shit”. SAMO soon received media attention but the
duo split and the project ended in 1979. In the early 1980s, Basquiat swiftly rose to become one of
the most well known artists in the United States. His art focused on “suggestive dichotomies”,
such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is perhaps the most famous American artist of the Neo-expressionism
movement, which is characterized by intense subjectivity and rough handling of materials. He died
of heroin overdose at the age of only 27.

Masterpiece: Scull (1981)

Scull (1981)

Scull (1981) – Jean-Michel Basquiat

Other Famous Works:-

Trumpet (1984)

Flexible (1982)

Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein

#7 ROY LICHTENSTEIN

Lifespan: October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997

Roy Lichtenstein initially worked in Cubism and Abstract Expressionism before moving to Pop Art,
the genre in which he made his mark. The first time his work was exhibited, he was called a
copycat by many art critics as his works closely resembled the originals. The Life magazine went to
the extent of publishing an article whose title asked “Is He the Worst Artist in the U.S.?” The artists
responded by saying, “The closer my work is to the original, the more threatening and critical the
content”. With time, Roy Lichtenstein became one of the leading artists of the Pop Art movement,
which dominated the American art world. His best known works, usually inspired by popular
advertising and comic strips, have become iconic images of the movement.

Masterpiece: Whaam! (1963)

Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein

Whaam! (1963) – Roy Lichtenstein

Other Famous Works:-

Drowning Girl (1963)

Oh, Jeff…I Love You, Too…But… (1964)

Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper

#6 EDWARD HOPPER

Lifespan: July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967

The art of Edward Hopper is marked by minimum of action with almost no sign of life and mobility;
and the use of dramatic means to suggest the psychological states of his subjects. Hopper’s
individuals, usually depicted isolated and disconnected from their environments, revealed the
solitude of modern life. Moreover, he forced his viewer to play an active role in completing the
narrative of his artworks. This was hugely influential for the art world as it led to art movements in
which the major role in understanding the artwork was left for the viewer. The most famous
American realist painter, Edward Hopper has been said to have painted a more revealing portrait
of twentieth-century America than any other artist. His masterpiece Nighthawks is one of the most
recognizable paintings in the history of American art.

Masterpiece: Nighthawks (1942)

Nighthawks (1942)
Nighthawks (1942) – Edward Hopper

Other Famous Works:-

Automat (1927)

New York Movie (1939)

Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko

#5 MARK ROTHKO

Lifespan: September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970

Mark Rothko, or Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, belonged to a Russian Jewish family which
immigrated to the United States when he was a child. He moved through a number of styles in his
artistic career including Surrealism, before he developed his own signature style. Rothko is
considered a pioneer of Color Field painting, a style within Abstract Expressionism in which color is
the main subject itself. Though Rothko is regarded as one of the leading abstract artists, he
insisted that he was not an abstractionist as his primary focus was discovering mysticism and
esoteric aspects of colors and its combinations. Painting was a method of spiritual expression for
Rothko and many viewers have broken down in tears in front of his works. Mark Rothko made a
monumental contribution to abstract art and he is regarded as one of the most influential abstract
artists in the history of western art.

Masterpiece: Orange, Red, Yellow (1961)

Orange, Red, Yellow (1961)

Orange, Red, Yellow (1961) – Mark Rothko

Other Famous Abstract Works:-

Untitled (Black on Grey) (1970)

No. 10 (1950)

Keith Haring

Keith Haring

#4 KEITH HARING

Lifespan: May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990

Keith Haring was introduced to art at an early age by his father, who did cartooning as a hobby. In
1978, Haring arrived in New York and became aware of the thriving underground graffiti art scene
there. He produced thousands of public drawings and became one of the most renowned graffiti
artists. He was also arrested for vandalism on numerous occasions. As public interest in his art
grew, Haring had his first solo exhibition in 1981. Throughout the 1980s he produced dozens of
murals and public works all over the world, including in Europe, South America and Australia.
Gradually even the fine art establishment had to acknowledge his talent. Keith Haring brought the
elements of what was termed as “low art” into the formerly exclusive “high art” spaces of
museums and galleries. His art is known for being deceptively simple while containing deeper
themes of birth, death, love, sexuality, war and social harmony.

Masterpiece: Crack is Wack (1986)

Crack is Wack (1986)

Crack is Wack (1986) – Keith Haring

Other Famous Abstract Works:-

Tuttomondo (1989)

Free South Africa (1985)

Georgia O'Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe

#3 GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

Lifespan: November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986

American Modernism was an artistic and cultural movement which peaked between the two
World Wars. It was marked by a deliberate departure from tradition and use of innovative forms
of expression. Georgia O’Keeffe became the leading figure in American Modernism by challenging
the boundaries of artistic style with her paintings, which combined abstraction and
representation. She is most famous for her dramatically large, sensual close-up of flowers which
essentially made them into abstract works. Georgia O’Keeffe was highly significant in influencing
the gender balance in the artistic scene. Known as the “Mother of American Modernism“, she is
not only the most famous female American artist but also one of the most influential figures of
20th century art. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

Masterpiece: Black Iris III (1926)

Black Iris III (1926) - Georgia O’Keeffe

Black Iris III (1926) – Georgia O’Keeffe

Other Famous Works:-

Cow’s Skull: Red, White, and Blue (1931)

Radiator Building — Night, New York (1927)

Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock

#2 JACKSON POLLOCK

Lifespan: January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956

Drip painting is a form of abstract art in which paint is dripped or poured onto the canvas, rather
than being carefully applied. Jackson Pollock is the most famous practitioner of drip painting to the
extent that he was dubbed “Jack the Dripper” by TIME magazine. Pollock’s technique of pouring
and dripping paint popularized the term action painting, a method in which the physical act of
painting itself is an essential aspect of the finished work. His most famous works include Blue
Poles, which was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia in 1973 for A$1.3 million, a then
world record for a contemporary American painting; and No. 5, 1948, which created the world
record for the highest price paid for a painting when it was sold for a price of $140 million. Jackson
Pollock was the preeminent figure of the Abstract Expressionism movement. He is the most
famous American abstract artist and one of the outstanding figures of 20th century art.

Masterpiece: Number 5, 1948

Number 5, 1948 - Jackson Pollock

Number 5, 1948 – Jackson Pollock

Other Famous Works:-

Number 11, 1952 (Blue Poles)

One: Number 31, 1950

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

#1 ANDY WARHOL

Lifespan: August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987

Born Andrew Warhola, Andy Warhol is the best known and most influential artist of the Pop Art
movement to the extent that he is known as the “Pope of Pop”. The non-painterly style and
commercial aspects of his paintings initially caused offense as it affronted the technique and
philosophy of abstract expressionism, the then dominant style in the United States. His works
created an uproar in the American art world and the resulting controversy made Warhol a
household name. Warhol was a prolific artist and he explored a wide variety of media including
painting, silkscreening, photography, film and sculpture. His paintings are among the most
expensive ever sold. The highest price paid for a Warhol painting is US$105 million for a 1963
canvas titled Silver Car Crash while, if one adjusts for inflation, his most expensive painting is Eight
Elvises at US$111.2. Though many still doubt the merit of his work, Andy Warhol is without doubt
the most famous American artist.

Masterpiece: Marilyn Diptych (1962)

Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol

Marilyn Diptych (1962)